The Hitchcock Nine (1925–1929) - Imprint

[beantherio]

I decided against getting this one. It seems like a great set but I only lack two of these films in my collection (The Pleasure Garden + Easy Virtue). And spending that much money on a release that I would mostly get for "completism" purposes didn't seem like too good an idea. Kino's releases of (most of) these films don't get much viewing time in my house either.

[darrellmaclaine]

Originally Posted by beantherio

I decided against getting this one. It seems like a great set but I only lack two of these films in my collection (The Pleasure Garden + Easy Virtue). And spending that much money on a release that I would mostly get for "completism" purposes didn't seem like too good an idea. Kino's releases of (most of) these films don't get much viewing time in my house either.

That's the problem with Hitch's filmography pre-Man Who Knew Too Much. With the exception of perhaps Blackmail and bits of The Lodger, the only reason any of it is notable is because of its director credit. Until the 1940s, when the artists all came to the forefront, British film was rotten, prehistoric and largely unwatchable today, and even Hitch was sailing against the wind for most of that - at which point he fled at the earliest opportunity! That he managed to make Lady Vanishes, 39 Steps, Sabotage etc over here towards the end of that time was all the more remarkable.

So yeah, when anybody puts out any early Hitchcock, I am always slightly questioning of the sales pitch. Because this is a box set of mostly unwatchable films...!

[beantherio]

Originally Posted by darrellmaclaine

That's the problem with Hitch's filmography pre-Man Who Knew Too Much. With the exception of perhaps Blackmail and bits of The Lodger, the only reason any of it is notable is because of its director credit. Until the 1940s, when the artists all came to the forefront, British film was rotten, prehistoric and largely unwatchable today, and even Hitch was sailing against the wind for most of that - at which point he fled at the earliest opportunity! That he managed to make Lady Vanishes, 39 Steps, Sabotage etc over here towards the end of that time was all the more remarkable.

So yeah, when anybody puts out any early Hitchcock, I am always slightly questioning of the sales pitch. Because this is a box set of mostly unwatchable films...!

I wouldn't call them bad but I agree that watching these films is mostly interesting to see Hitchcock developing his skills. The Lodger and Blackmail are probably more significant than that but the rest tends to rate not very highly. The defining 'feature' of this set (Easy Virtue) is actually one of the lowest rated Hitchcocks on IMDB.

Something I remembered just now was that a somewhat similar set was released in the UK last year. Skipped that one as well.